Distance
by gripsyched
Summary: "To hell with distances." / Michiru contemplates the distance between the skies and the seas.


Distance

Pairing: Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaiou

AN: I always thought that there was a certain distance between the two of them- that Michiru always tried to keep (but failed miserably at doing) and Haruka kept, but in the end decided that "well screw this". And I think that Michiru would really allow all her thoughts (from her elements and her personas) to come together before she came to a final decision as Michiru. _Also, NO MORE SECOND PERSON POV! _I kept lapsing into second person POV, though xD

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon geez.

Enjoy!

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Michiru stands, little waves rushing up to her feet- in the manner a child would reach out for her mother. She glances out into the far horizon, and sighs a little. The violinist hugs herself, a hand gripping onto an elbow defensively. The way the breeze is picking at her skin and her hair has left her feeling a little vulnerable. Shivering involuntarily, she pushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

_There is nothing to be afraid of, _she tells herself.

Yes, there is nothing to be afraid of- after all, her sanctuary is pooled at her feet, waves gliding over waves, a portrait of serenity. She snickers at the pun, and sighs again. The muddy sand beneath her feet is a little distracting, but as the wind ruffles her hair- and playfully tugs at the lace on the hems of her sundress, she finds herself lost. The water continues to splash at her feet, and she can feel it soothing her, washing over her.

_There is nothing to be afraid of,_ it tells her.

She chuckles, and bends down to feel the coolness against her fingers. But really, she's dodging yet another tease from the playful breeze. Crouching and bundling her dress into her lap, she can't help but feel so small and insignificant compared to the master of the skies. She is hiding- she is afraid- she is avoiding. She grimaces at that- because it does not sound like her, not at all.

_There is nothing to be afraid of,_ Neptune tells her.

But granted- Neptune is only an alter-ego, a reincarnation. Neptune is not Michiru (although there have been overlaps). Michiru doesn't dare to think of herself as Neptune, doesn't dare to think of herself as bounded to the winds. Michiru swallows, and shakes her head. She really, really- is being silly. The water licks at her knuckles, and waltzes around her hand. Slow, graceful and at ease. Glancing up at the skies, Michiru lets out a breathless gasp. How- _just how_- could something so slow dance along to the fast-paced Jive?

_There _is_ nothing to be afraid of,_ the wind tells her.

It is teasing- and it is painfully humiliating for Michiru to feel the smirk of the breeze against her hair. So Michiru merely smiles, and lets the _Kaiou_ in her surface. She _is_ "The violinist, _Kaiou_", after all. Her reputation of cold gazes and polite smiles is not a mere bluff. Standing up- with poise and confidence- back straight and hands together in front of her, she glances at the horizon. The horizon- where the sky merges with the sea.

(Kaiou never stays for long, because the sea is always wearing her facades away)

Neptune is stirring within her, as she thinks of that. But Michiru knows, and Michiru _understands_ that it is a mere illusion. No matter how far they go- there will always be that distance between them. That distance is essential for balance- there will always be lines drawn, lines that they cannot cross. So the wind (daredevil through and through) will skim the surfaces of the sea, and dip her toe into its cooling embrace- but never will they merge.

There is a pang of pain at that realisation, and Michiru sighs again. She is so, so afraid of the wind and the sky, and yet she cannot help but sink into its embraces (however fleeting they are). Raising a hand up into the air, she tries- childishly- to reach for the sky. It is silly, but as she stares at her outstretched hand, the illusion of her touching the sky makes her smile, just a little. Perhaps it is all- the Neptune, the Sea and Michiru Kaiou herself- reaching for the sky.

A wave crashes into another, and another- before they thin down, reaching the shore. The sheet of water retreats, and the cycle continues. Michiru shakes her head- she has not divided herself up into different fragments, instead choosing to let them all crash into one another. Let the emotions run and stain and colour- let the thoughts flow _as one_.

A hand interlocks with her outstretched one, and Michiru gasps- for Haruka (once again) has managed to catch her unawares. Haruka smiles- it is not the deathly smirk Uranus gives just before she kills their opponent, nor is it the childish chuckles that echoes as the wind skips- it is a _Haruka _smile. But Neptune sees it as Uranus- the Sea sees it as the Sky- and Michiru, well, Michiru sees it as Haruka.

"It's beautiful, no?" Michiru mutters, gazing at the horizon again.

_Where the sky merges with the sea._

Michiru tenses- and hastily tries to remove her fingers from Haruka's warm and slender ones. They have their duties, and they have their princess, and they have _nothing_, not even their _souls_.

But Haruka- Haruka twirls Michiru around, and leans in close for a kiss, and assures, "There is nothing to be afraid of."

To hell with distances.

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Reviews will be appreciated! :D


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